1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an attachment device of portable electronic equipment and a feature expanding unit of the portable electronic equipment, and a separation type feature expanding device of the portable electronic equipment comprising the attachment device and the feature expanding unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to ensure the portability of portable electronic equipment such as a so-called notebook type personal computer or laptop type personal computer as well as expand the feature thereof, it has been proposed that a feature expanding unit containing a circuit for expanding the feature of the portable electronic equipment is provided and the portable electronic equipment is mounted on and removed from the feature expanding unit, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 119220/1991, for example.
The feature expanding unit and the portable electronic equipment are electrically connected to each other by inserting a male connector provided in the portable electronic equipment into a female connector provided in the feature expanding unit, for example. Further, there is provided means for inhibiting the relative movement therebetween in the direction in which the connectors are inserted and pulled out in order that the connectors are uselessly disconnected from each other.
Furthermore, the portable electronic equipment is provided with a connector for connecting equipment such as a printer or a scanner using a cable. When the cable is attached or detached every time the printer, the scanner, or the like is used, the portable electronic equipment is inconvenient for use. Therefore, the equipment such as the printer or the scanner and a port replicator are constantly connected to each other by cable, while the portable electronic equipment is removably provided in the port replicator (the port replicator and the port replicator portion refer to one comprising a first group of terminals to which a group of terminals of the portable electronic equipment is connected and a second group of terminals to which a group of terminals of the equipment such as the printer is connected), to decrease the complexity of connecting work of the cable.
When the feature of the portable electronic equipment is gradually expanded, the above-mentioned port replicator is liable to be first obtained, after which a feature expanding unit is liable to be newly obtained. When the feature expanding unit is newly obtained in a case where the port replicator has been already possessed, however, the port replicator which has been already possessed is useless, which means a waste of property.